3 biggest concerns heading into the Cowboys vs Lions game
1. Kellen Moore Abandoning the Running Game
During Prescott’s absence, the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has done an excellent job of protecting backup quarterback Cooper Rush and putting him in manageable situations. A lot of that has to do with Moore’s dedication to the running game, something we aren’t used to seeing when Prescott has been under center. Moore has been more reliant on Prescott and his arm when he’s been on the football field in the past, and has often opted not to make a concerted effort to establish the run and stick with it.
With Prescott once again starting for the Cowboys, we have to wonder whether Moore is going to continue using the strategy that had his offense go on a four-game winning streak, or whether he’ll revert back to his old ways, relying on Prescott to beat teams with his arm. We aren’t going to know for sure until they take the field, but we do know that they are going to want to get Prescott going to help build confidence in that hand.
One thing we do know, though, is that this Detroit defense has been unable to stop the run in games. With Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard at his disposal, Moore could use the Lions’ strategy against them and decide to slowly work Prescott back into the game, while taking advantage of his talent at running back to wear down an already-bad Lions defense.
A dive into the Detroit Lions defense. What’s the coaching staff’s fault, what’s not, why is this happening and how does it get fixed.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) October 17, 2022
New today on @TheAthleticNFL with @colton_pouncy (film stuff inside) https://t.co/kGaDt956F3
Again, this is another situation where we aren’t going to know how Moore will balance helping his quarterback get into a rhythm and exploiting an awful Lions run defense. We just have to hope that Moore can figure out a way to help Prescott, but not at the expense of the Cowboys’ running game.
